Regular screening of upper-extremity impairments may benefit Type 1 diabetes patients

Written By : Medha Baranwal |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2023-06-08T10:30:34+05:30 | Updated On 8 Jun 2023 2:15 PM IST

Denmark: Upper-extremity impairments (UEIs) are common, particularly among patients with type 1 diabetes, so regular screening for UEIs should be considered in these individuals, says a recent study published in Diabetes Care.

Previous studies have shown that upper extremity impairments such as carpal tunnel syndrome, flexor tenosynovitis (trigger finger), frozen shoulder, Dupuytren's disease, and limited joint mobility are common in diabetic patients. These patients disabling and painful limitations in daily life.

The study revealed that patients with type 1 diabetes were significantly more likely to experience trigger finger (OR, 5.0), frozen shoulder (OR, 3.5), Dupuytren contracture (OR, 4.3) and carpal tunnel syndrome (OR, 3.5) than controls. Diabetes duration, older age, body mass index, HbA1c, and female sex were associated with higher UEIs.

Sabina Wagner, Copenhagen University Hospital–Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Herlev, Denmark, and colleagues aimed to identify the current and lifetime prevalence of upper-extremity impairments among patients with type 1 diabetes and explore factors associated with UEIs in a controlled nationwide study.

For this purpose, the researchers paired data on upper-extremity impairments and health behaviour with clinical factors and sociodemographics data from national registers. Participants were 2,245 individuals with type 1 diabetes, and 841 comprised the control group. Differences between groups were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression and binomial proportions.

The study led to the following findings:

Compared with controls, individuals with type 1 diabetes were significantly more likely to experience frozen shoulder (odds ratio [OR] 3.5), trigger finger (OR 5.0), carpal tunnel syndrome (OR 3.5), and Dupuytren contracture (OR 4.3).
They were also more likely to have several coexisting impairments than the control group.
Diabetes duration was associated with all four impairments.

"Our findings showed that upper-extremity impairments are common, particularly among individuals with type 1 diabetes," the researchers wrote. Therefore, they suggest regular screening for upper-extremity impairments in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Reference:

Sabina Wagner, Kirsten Nørgaard, Ingrid Willaing, Kasper Olesen, Henrik U. Andersen; Upper-Extremity Impairments in Type 1 Diabetes: Results From a Controlled Nationwide Study. Diabetes Care 1 June 2023; 46 (6): 1204–1208. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-0063

Diabetes Caretype 1 diabetesupper extremity impairmentscarpal tunnel syndromeDupuytren contracturetrigger fingerfrozen shoulder

Source : Diabetes Care

Medha Baranwal

MSc. Biotechnology

Medha Baranwal joined Medical Dialogues as an Editor in 2018 for Speciality Medical Dialogues. She covers several medical specialties including Cardiac Sciences, Dentistry, Diabetes and Endo, Diagnostics, ENT, Gastroenterology, Neurosciences, and Radiology. She has completed her Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences from DU and then pursued Masters in Biotechnology from Amity University. She has a working experience of 5 years in the field of medical research writing, scientific writing, content writing, and content management. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751